Food, family and memories are as intertwined in the South as if woven on the same thread. At any function we attend, from a party to a wedding to a funeral, we are as likely to talk as much about the food that was there, as we are about why we are gathered. ~Mary Foreman

I'm your cook, not your doctor. ~PAULA DEEN

I found out what the secret to life is: friends. Best friends. ~Ninny Threadgoode

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

A quick biscuit bread, sometimes called hoecake bread, fried in bacon drippings in a screaming hot, cast iron skillet on top of the stove.

Old Fashioned Biscuit Bread

Though skillet bread has been around since pre-Colonial times, this biscuit bread was likely a staple during the Great Depression and probably most often eaten for breakfast, typically just torn from the cake, rather than cut.

Not much more than simply flour, fat and milk back then, and often only water, when there was no money for milk. Thankfully we can be just a tad more indulgent and use a little butter and some buttermilk in ours. If you're in the mood for biscuits but don't want to bother with the rolling and cutting out part, this is a great way to get them, because essentially this is pretty much just one giant biscuit, with a different preparation.

Some southerners call this skillet biscuit a hoecake, and as always, we southerners can get a little bit, well... let's say passionate, about something we grew up with, especially when it comes to food. Some of us insist a hoecake is a small medallion of cornmeal cakes cooked in a skillet, sort of like a pancake. Others of us say that this flour rendition is a hoecake, and their cornmeal cousins are something altogether different. I say that, just like cornbread and potato salad in your gumbo, I think it honestly just depends on where you grew up and what you grew up knowing. No one way is the only right way, except your mama's way!

No matter whether you call this a hoecake, biscuit bread, flour bread, flour pone, pone bread, biscuit pone, skillet bread, skillet biscuit or gallettes - just a few of the many names this bread is known by - there seems to be at least two solid rules to this biscuit bread. It should be cooked in a cast iron skillet and always on the top of the stove, though a third rule for using bacon fat doesn't really hurt either if you ask me.

I like to cover the skillet when the bread is cooking, because it seems to help to retain the heat, giving a better rise on the dough and cooks it through more evenly and faster. I also like to pour some melted butter on top after I turn it, but that's just me, so it's optional. You can just add your butter as you pull off a chunk.

Biscuit bread is suitable for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and it's as good drizzled with syrup or honey, as it is as a side bread for soup, beans, chicken and dumplings, or with Sunday supper.

Here's how to make it.

In an 8-inch cast iron skillet, melt the bacon fat over medium high heat.

Meanwhile, cut the cold butter into the flour. Although I didn't show it here, I just used a pastry cutter as usual.

Add only enough buttermilk to form into a stiff, shaggy dough - like a biscuit dough.

You could potentially just dump this mass of dough in your hot skillet and mash it in real quick, but I prefer to gather the dough up a bit first. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and sprinkle a little flour on top. Pull the dough together to form a disc.

Turn over and tighten the disc, shaping it slightly smaller than the skillet. Sorry for the shading - I apparently had a lighting issue with my camera. Hey, I never said I was a photographer!

Use a wide spatula to carefully lift the dough up and transfer to the hot skillet. This actually works easier if you can get the dough and the skillet in close proximity to each other, but if you don't get it in there perfect don't sweat it either. The dough should sizzle - pretty much the same as it does with your skillet cornbread. Reduce heat to between medium to medium low and cover the skillet.

Cook until the bread browns then flip over. Cooking time is gonna be dependent on how your heat is set and how hot your skillet is, so just use a spatula to peek under it every once in awhile and don't go running off to check your Facebook page. By the way... if your dough sticks, then it's time to re-season your skillet.

I like to go ahead and pour melted butter on top once I flip it, but that is totally optional. You can omit it and just save the butter for later. Cover the skillet and cook until browned on the other side.

Cut into wedges or break off pieces and tell me you don't just love this old fashioned recipe!

Serve your chunks with pure butter, honey, sorghum or cane syrup, or use your favorite jam, jelly, preserves or fruit butter, or eat it as a bread for supper.

In an 8-inch cast iron skillet, melt the bacon fat over medium high heat. Meanwhile, cut the cold butter into the flour. Add only enough buttermilk to the flour to form into a shaggy dough, turn out onto a floured surface, sprinkle a small amount of flour on top and quickly shape into a disc. Turn over, sprinkle additional flour on top and tighten disc, just slightly smaller than the skillet.

Use a wide spatula to transfer the dough to the hot skillet. Cover and reduce heat to between medium and medium low. Cover and cook until the bread browns on the bottom, then flip over, pour melted butter on top if desired, cover and cook until browned on the other side. Break off pieces or cut into wedges and serve with pure butter, honey, sorghum or cane syrup, or use your favorite jam, jelly, preserves or fruit butter.

Cook's Notes: Can substitute vegetable shortening (like Crisco) for the bacon drippings. I use White Lily self rising flour and Land O'Lakes butter for this recipe.

Oven Version: While traditionally made on the stovetop, you can also make this in the oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Add the bacon drippings to the 8 inch cast iron skillet and place into the oven. Meanwhile, cut the cold butter into the flour. Add buttermilk, increasing to about 1-1/2 to 2 cups, or until mixture is gooey, but still thick and not soupy. Using pot holders, carefully remove skillet from the oven and quickly pour the batter into the skillet, using a spatula to spread the dough across the skillet. Pour the melted butter on top, and place into oven, baking uncovered at 400 degrees F for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until top is golden brown.

Galettes: Instead of shaping into one biscuit, pinch off pieces of individual dough about a small palmful. Use fingertips to pat out into individual thin, flat breads, about 1/4 inch thick. Use the tip of a sharp knife to cut a small slit in the center of the bread. Omit the bacon drippings and fry galettes individually in about 1/2 inch of hot oil, turning once, until browned on both sides. Immediately brush with melted butter and sprinkle lightly with granulated or powdered sugar. Can also serve with jam, jelly, preserves, honey or cane syrup.

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Oh my gravy - I can't believe how lucky I am right now. One of my fellow Southern Girl Gang members left me three (3!) jars of homemade jelly/preserves this weekend. Biscuit bread for supper? With fig preserves? Don't mind if I do!

My Granny used to make this, and just called it "fried biscuits"...her dough was more like drop biscuits and she just dropped it into the hot grease is small spoonfuls...but it was delicious...she used bacon grease for the frying, and would sometimes add cracklin's from our own home-rendered lard...

my mother said her mother used to make something like this every morning. But instead of pulling off a chunk it would be cut out like a slice of bread size and then split in half with egg and cheese etc put inside.

I grew up on this! My Gran would pop our hands if we tried to cut it or cut corn bread - she said it was bad luck! We would tear off chunks, slather it with butter and pour sorghum, honey, or in one tradition I never could stomach old fashioned cane syrup. (The smell kept me from that!)

THIS is how I remember a "hoecake"...not the little things I see being cooked on FoodNetwork (and I do love Food Network)...this is how my mama, grandmas, and neighbor made it...have never made one, and haven't made biscuits in YEARS (well, maybe the frozen ones..:)...but might have to try it...memories have been stirred...thank you so very much...

My Grandma used to make this in a regular skillet every day. She would dollop out each biscuit though starting with the center one and then working around in a circle. When you dollop the biscuits in this way it gives them the impressions where they can just be torn out. She also used regular milk (she called it sweet milk!) instead of buttermilk. You just need to make sure your skillet is properly greased. She also had a trick of sliding it out onto her lid on the cooked side then flipping it back in the pan upside down to cook the other side. Loved my Grandma so much. When I make these it is like she is right there with me!

Mmmm! Never had skillet biscuit bread before, but this was very good...buttery, soft, and tender. Just like homemade biscuits..without all the fuss, or heating up the kitchen. I didn't have bacon fat, but Crisco shortening worked well. Thanks for sharing, it's a keeper!

I am so happy that I could cry. This was something my mother made for us all through my childhood & early adult years. When she passed, I was sure I had the recipe, but didn't. Other recipes I found wanted to add cornmeal! The story my mother told me that HER mother told her about this bread was that slaves and poor freedmen would cook this bread on the flat of a hoe held over a fire. I just want to give you the biggest freaking hug for posting this!

I really liked this recipe! I do think my biscuit was a tad too thick....it browned but I had to throw it in the oven to finish up cooking the middle. It tasted wonderful though, and I liked the idea of "breaking bread" with my family.

This is the hoe cake recipe I have been searching for! My Mama and Granny used to make this quite regular. Both passed away when I was a teenager and I never learned to make it. I am in my mid fifties now and you have no idea how many memories of my Mother have came flooding back due to your recipe. I cannot thank you enough. God bless you and yours.

If you make this with 76 degree coconut oil it is really really good and a lot healthier. But I guess doing it that way is sort of yankified. I can't abide a yankee, like a cross to vampires, so it should have a new name fried up that way.

I am 58 and remember my grand Mother making hoecakes we would brake off a piece and butter it and put her pear preserves in it. I have been hunting this recipe for years. thank you and God Bless pilgrim

My mom who was from Kentucky used to make something close to this but it was just self rising flour and water mixed up to a cake like texture and then poured in a hot oiled skillet. Wait til it bubbles up on top (like a pancake) and turn. It would make a fat bread that was brown and crunchy on top. We'd eat it with eggs and/or sausage or sausage gravy for breakfast and with soup beans and fried taters for dinner. Delicious! Thanks for the memories.

Mary, thanks so much for this recipe. I used to enjoy eating biscuit bread as a kid, at my best friend's house for breakfast. Made some this morning and it brought back many fond memories. I used a pizza peel to transfer the dough to the skillet. Enjoyed the bread with some butter and fig preserves. My oh my...mighty fine eats! Thanks again.

Made this bread tonight and it was wonderful. I didn't have buttermilk so I added a tablespoon of white vinegar to the milk and let it sit 5 minutes and it worked out great. Taste so good with butter and Tupelo Honey! Thanks for the recipe!

Hi! Oh, bummer!! Well... it sounds like you might be turning it too early and not browning it quite enough on the bottom, or else your skillet wasn't hot enough or might be sticking. Be sure to cook it until the bread browns on the bottom - like with a pancake - then flip over. If it's undercooked, it will fall apart. Cooking time is gonna be dependent on how high the heat is set, what kind of skillet you're using (I use cast iron) and how hot your skillet is. You need the bread to sear on the bottom side before turning it over. Just use a spatula to peek under it every once in awhile. I like to use a wide pancake spatula too. If your dough is sticking, then it's time to re-season your skillet!

OMG...my mother used to cook this for us when we were little girls (50+ years ago). We especially seemed to enjoy it on cold winter mornings. My sister loved this bread with molasses; I loved it with good apple jelly! I am thinking I'll treat myself to this Saturday morning! Thanks for the recipe but especially for stirring memories.

I didn't wait until Saturday. Today was chilly and I was home alone, so I treated myself. Here's a note for your readers: I halved the recipe because I was cooking for one. It turned out beautifully - wish I could send you a photo. Thanks for the memories.

This is more of a biscuit bread recipe than a fry bread so the texture would be different for sure, although I have seen multiple recipes for fry breads too so there is a great amount of variation in ingredients among fry bread recipes too.

Nevertheless, it is hard to duplicate our Mother's cooking, no matter the simplicity. I've been trying for years to duplicate my mom's seafood gumbo and there's just something I'm not quite getting. The biggest missing ingredient is her! If you do a search for fry bread recipes you'll probably get a bit closer to what you remember.

I love this bread. My mother use to make it when I was a child, and while I was growing up, but I never learned to make it. Now I have a craving for it, so I googled it, and found your recipe. Growing up we used molasses and butter on our bread. Thank you so much for the recipe.

My mother made this by just scraping the batter out of the bowl and into the hot skillet - and I love it but especially because of the skillet being so hot the edges and bottom are all crispy. Yum, this makes my mouth water just thinking about it!!

When I was a kid, My Gra-ma would flour lightly and knead gently once the dough was turned out onto the counter, then roll it out with a roller....Fried on a cast iron griddle pan, but still with that awesome bacon grease ;-) Brings back so many memories, and now I'm gonna have to modify your recipes see if I can get evenly remotely close to child hood breakfast heaven. THANKS for sharing!!!! Oh, and she called em Hoe cakes....she was from Virgilina Virginia.

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